With stringent Health & Safety regulations affecting companies of all sizes across the UK, undergoing Health and Safety training is a serious matter for businesses from legislative and life-saving perspectives. Mark Davis and Nicole Martin of Corporate Health, explore.
According to the HSE (Health & Safety Executive), Health & Safety doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be something acknowledged and implemented within the workplace as a mandatory requirement. So, just how “safe” is your business in preventing and managing accidents? With the recent growth of the talked about “blame culture” encouraged by adverts with straplines like “No win no fee” and “Where there is blame there is a claim”, the general public, including visitors and staff to your organisation, are more and more aware of their rights especially where their safety is concerned. You can’t stop accidents from happening but what you can do is show that you have done everything to prevent the accident and then manage an accident if one were to occur.
Prevention of accidents can sometimes not be avoided, but managing the accident and preventing further consequences or accidents is something within the control of a competent H&S manager. First Aid training is essential for all businesses to undertake, for this very reason. As part of a proactive attitude to Health and Safety, carrying out a thorough risk assessment will help you decide the type of First Aid course your business requires as well as highlighting any potential risks and dangers. The risk assessment will also look at specific risks onsite that you will require training for e.g. handling chemicals or food or working with noisy machinery for example. The First Aid training itself will also cover key areas like how to keep records to make sure you are accountable in the case of an accident, as well as the more obvious elements of managing a casualty. As part of the safety training undertaken by many companies, a growing number are considering the purchase of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for their premises. All businesses will have fire extinguishers at their premises, but the chance of a member of staff or visitor having a medical emergency is much higher than a fire and this is why AED’s are now seen as a vital piece of equipment in the workplace. A casualty in cardiac arrest has the best chance of survival if defibrillated within five minutes.
Aside from statutory First Aid training, another key area to be well versed in, in terms of preventing and managing accidents is that of Fire warden training. All members of your team must be aware of evacuation procedures for your site and generally this is the case, but are your visitors also aware of this procedure? In the event of a fire it is good to know where you need to evacuate to, but once out and in safety, who should you/they report to? Whose job is it to call the fire service and to ensure that everyone is out? If you have disabled members of staff will they need assistance to evacuate and who is going to do this? The job of a fire warden in the event of what could potentially be a major incident is not an easy one but one where training can make all the difference.
With your business now fully trained in the key elements of preventing and managing accidents, as well as minimising the risk of accidents happening in workplace, what else might you need to manage the accident or any casualties? As well as practical equipment like a defibrillator, it is also vital for businesses to have sufficient First Aid kits on hand in the building. For many years, business owners provided standard “HSE” First Aid kits for work use. The HSE has now changed its recommendations on the contents of a First Aid kit. You must now provide equipment relevant to the risks at your site, for example, a kit for five people in an office is going to be very different to a kit required for use in a laboratory. This is where carrying out a risk assessment by an independent expert will help you understand your requirements, make sure you have everything you need to prevent and manage an accident and to give yourself, your staff and your visitors peace of mind in the fact you have fulfilled your legal obligations as well as your moral duty of care. Health & Safety can seem like a minefield but H&S and Occupational Healthcare go very much hand in hand, as they are both part of the health surveillance legislative requirement, and are both key to businesses wanting to create a safe, healthy and happy working environment for 2013 and beyond.
